When I was a little girl, I often wondered where I came from.  My brain knew I came from my parents, but something deep inside of me that I couldn’t explain said there is so much more to being in existence than the process of procreation.  My heart knew, even as an innocent child, I am here because of a Creator I didn’t know yet.  How did I know that?  There was this feeling of being accountable to a moral code I couldn’t define or understand how it came to be within me.  My curiosity sent me on a search for the parts within me that sometimes felt united and other times separated.  Questions began to flood my heart.  What are those parts of me I don’t understand and how did they get inside of me?  Where do they come from? 

As time went by, my questions were answered, but not in the way I imagined. I learned about the different parts of me that I couldn’t identify as a child.  My discovery led me to believe I am made up of distinct parts, but united in one body.  I determined I have a heart, a mind, a spirit, a soul, and a strength within this body of mine.  My natural curiosity begged to ask where they came from and which one came first.

I am persuaded and convicted of the knowledge I gained through a book of history, poetry, and letters written to people, who like me, had questions about their existence and where they came from.  This book contains all the answers I was looking for.  Within its pages, I discovered the why’s and how’s of what I could see, hear, taste, touch, and walk upon.  My sense of belonging to a higher understanding brought me great joy and hope, but I still didn’t understand the object of the joy or the hope rising to my consciousness. Reading this book caused me to ask more questions and as long as I kept reading, the answers continued to flow from the message within its pages.

I can remember swinging on a neighborhood swing set and gazing into the sky with each passing swoop, trying to comprehend how did all of this happen? As I reeled back and forth to gain as much height as possible, the sensation of the freedom to flow through the air with little regard to the dynamics of how that is even possible, brought an incredible sensation of sovereignty I knew did not belong to me.  The answers were found in the same amazing book.

Life as we know it begins at conception.  Within seven days, red blood cells are delivering oxygen to the tissue and the development of vascular channels.  After twenty days, the heart begins to pump fluid through blood vessels.  Even before THIS, God says He knew me.  The first ten words in the book of Jeremiah, Gods Word says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… HOW?  Could it be because the prophet Ezekiel says in chapter 18, verse 4, “ Behold ALL souls are Mine;…God is The Keeper of souls!! Psalm 139:13-16, Ecclesiastes 11:5, Isaiah 43:10, 44:2, 24, and Leviticus 17:11-14 all  of these passages from the Bible, speak of the Owner and Maker of our souls.  The passage in Leviticus states the life of the flesh is in the blood.  The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language.  In most instances like this one, when “life” is used in a passage, the meaning is soul. God decided when to send our souls to a womb to be born of a man and woman. 

Psalm 97:10, Job 33:28, Psalm 16:10, Psalm 34:22,and Hebrews 10:39  convey to Gods faithful followers one way or another He is serious about preserving, redeeming, remaining, and providing promises for the salvation of our souls so we can return to Him and our first home. In the gospel of Matthew, it is recorded that God invites us to find His rest. What a peaceful and comforting place to search for. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. In Jeremiah 6:16 the Lord says, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.  In each instance of God’s rest for our souls, there is act of finding we must be engaged in.  You will not stumble into or trip over His rest.  You must be seeking it. 

Now that I am older, I can explain, explore, and praise the excitement of knowing Who is responsible for all that is within me.  Now God wants me to know Him through His Son Jesus the Christ.  God wants me to love Him with the very soul, heart, mind, and strength He gave me.  One day, God is going to require my soul from me.  It is my responsibility to find His rest, curl up in His lap, and lay my head against His loving heart.